Growing up in Birmingham, England, Marsha Smith learned the importance of making do. “If I look back at how my mom raised us on the smallest means, she would do whatever it took to be able to send us to a weekly ballet class, which required a 90-minute walk, there and back. She would go out of her way to help us feel cared for.”

These tough times sparked a desire to work, so she took on her first job at a shy age 13 as a cashier for the local pharmacist. “Constantly interacting with customers helped bring me out of my shell,” says Smith, now the president of IKEA Canada.

After graduating high school at 16, she secured a placement with a Youth Apprenticeship Program and was placed into an automotive factory. “It was very unusual then to have females in the automotive industry. They tended to be in the office and not in any kind of leadership position. Fortunately, one of the owners was a woman and I worked directly for her. She took me in as a kid, with no real skills, and trusted me with so many things. It wasn’t long after I arrived she started to give me more and more responsibility. Because of that level of trust, I never wanted to let her down.”

These early experiences were instrumental in shaping Smith’s leadership philosophy. “Feeling empowered and paying it forward are probably the biggest principles I have tried to hold on to throughout my career.”

When the opportunity to take on the role of president for IKEA Canada emerged, her family had just moved to Ireland and were not keen on leaving so soon. However, Canada had always been a bucket-list destination, so they decided to visit. “We met so many people and felt so warmly welcomed, it was impossible to say no to this opportunity.”

Building trust was foremost in her mind when she became president in 2017. She immediately started building bonds with and between her executive team. The group underwent a several-day retreat, with a series of assessments and a variety of physical activities, designed to raise their awareness about the various personalities and help them get to know each other.

She also set out on a cross-country tour to meet as many employees as possible to start fostering trust and dialogue throughout the organization. She met thousands of employees while she walked the shop floor and spoke with them to learn about their realities of working for IKEA.

“One of the major things I did during those visits was to have a small-circle discussion with only the coworkers, because I wanted to create an environment where they felt they could talk openly. I made it clear it was a confidential discussion and I would not be talking with their manager. With that foundation, they shared some amazing insights with me, which really informed how I was going to lead this organization.”

To ensure new employees are a great fit with the retailer’s culture, she runs a values-based assessment program. Potential recruits are placed at small round tables of six people and given a group task. An observer watches the behaviours.

“We look to see if there is one person in the room who really wants to be the centre of attention or is there someone that really tries to pull the team together? It’s so interesting because you can always see the ones who will fit our culture and values.”

When new hires understand the history of the company, they understand how they contribute to its goals

As part of their onboarding process, “we share the story of IKEA; where we came from, the values that are important to us. We talk about humility, cost consciousness, and our determination to pull everybody together in the same direction.” When new hires understand the history of the company, she says, they understand how they contribute to its goals.

A top priority is promoting diversity and inclusion. “I’m very passionate about women in business and trying to find how we can bring more women into management positions at IKEA Canada. I’m also a working mom and understand the pressures that can come with this. I think we still have a long way to go in helping women who come back from maternity leave to feel they can do as good a job as someone who isn’t in that situation. I remember the vulnerability I felt when I first came back from maternity leave. There’s so much that needs to change when it comes to our attitudes.”

And, “for at least a couple of days a year, I’m a coworker on the shop floor,” she says. “I just turn up in uniform and say ‘Give me whatever job you want to give me. I’m just a pair of hands here to help.’ So I was cleaning tables, handing out yellow bags, among other things. I think you get a good sense of the day-to-day life of a coworker and it’s very important to stay connected to that.”

Managing relationships is another priority. “When we look at our business plan for the following year,” she says, “(we ask whether we are) really responding to the things that our customers and coworkers are telling us.”

One thing she learned from her employee discussions was concerns about schedules. It may seem a lower-level task for some managers, but “if people are willing to be open with me, my responsibility is to take that away and do something with it. Otherwise, the next time I go back, they won’t talk to me or anyone else. Trust is gone.”

She listened and acted: “We give coworkers a four-week schedule so they can plan their lives. How can they plan their lives if they don’t know what’s happening in two weeks’ time? I think making some of these fundamental commitments is purely about respecting people.”

• Craig Dowden (PhD) is president of Craig Dowden & Associates, a firm focused on supporting clients in achieving leadership and organizational excellence by leveraging the science of peak performance. Connect with him by email or LinkedIn, or follow him on Twitter @craigdowden.

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